Sunday, June 29, 2014

Knowing my interest in science fiction romance, a friend
tipped me off that a film called CODEPENDENT LESBIAN
SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME (2011) had just landed on Netflix. He said little
more other than that the film was shot in the style of '50s pulp SF movies. I
was like, "Okay, sure! I'll check it out."

That night, though I should have been getting ready for bed,
I figured I'd watch a few minutes of the film. I didn't Google the title, read
the description, or research it in any way. I simply pulled it up on Netflix. The
poster definitely promised a campy parody of some kind:

Other than that, I had no
idea what to expect. But I started watching it anyway because, you know,
lesbian sci-fi romance! I hedged my bets, though, because with an unknown film
it's safer to expect nothing regarding an upbeat ending.

I only meant to view about twenty minutes, but I wound up
watching the whole thing! I couldn't tear my gaze away from it. CODEPENDENT
LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME, my friends, is great stuff!

I don't expect anyone else to be quite as adventurous as me,
so here's the description courtesy of instantwatcher.com:

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

SF Signal has a new-ish feature called Special
Needs in Strange Worlds, "…a
column focusing on celebrating disabilities in SFF. This column will focus on
book reviews, author interviews, and guest posts to highlight the beauty and
importance of our flaws."

Sarah Chorn's feature has helped inject
some much-needed diversity into SF/F. That said, the title and description
raise two concerns:

* use of the word "flaw"
risks portraying disabled people as inferior overall

* to the adult disability community,
"special needs" is code for "extraordinary" and
"other" in a way that performs a function opposite that of inclusivity. Think of it like this: how often are
the needs of disabled folks considered first
when it comes to Internet and tech accessibility? Something to consider.

During one of my frequent visits to SF
Signal, I noticed author Sharon Lynn Fisher's name pop up in one
of the SNiSW posts. I was like, "Oh, cool! A
sci-fi romance--wait a minute." I scratched my head. Something didn't seem
right.

Then I saw the book that was the focus
of the feature--THE OPHELIA PROPHECY. I had read that book. It's not a book
with disabled characters. Believe me, I'd have blogged about it by now if it
were. THE OPHELIA PROPHECY has biopunk and genetic engineering in a
post-apocalyptic setting, but the characters are as non-disabled as they come.

To Ms. Fisher's credit, she noted in
her post that "…none of the characters in my Tor book The
Ophelia Prophecy have a disability in the conventional
sense." And she reframes "special needs" as "physical
challenges" in order to more accurately represent the characters. But it
doesn't change the fact that her post lacks expected insights about disability.
With a feature like SNiSW, the author of the post can make a real difference.
For example, what kinds of insights might we have gained if a disabled reader had provided
commentary about how, in THE OPHELIA PROPHECY, the heroine's memory loss is a disability experience?

The post made me realize how easy it is
to inadvertently marginalize and erase books with disabled characters--even in
a feature designed to bring them to light.

The post is also a misfire considering there are about a
half-dozen SFRs that would have made a much better fit. Therefore, I
decided this is a good time to have a conversation about disabled characters in
SFR and what one actually looks like (or might look like). One, because readers
with disabilities deserve to see themselves reflected far more often in this
genre and two, SFR's relative youth means authors have a chance to chart a
course, almost from the start, to accurate, sensitive, and thoughtful
portrayals of disability.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

I inhaled the first three
books of P.J. Dean's The Felig Chronicles so I'm jazzed to
give you the first look at the cover and blurb for book No. 4: PARADOX
(September 15, 2014, eXtasy Books)!

Cover Design by Trisha Waters

This series offers an
interracial romance, an alien invasion story, action-adventure, a heroine with
style and sass, and a hero with a big secret. Each story develops the romance
further, plus this highly character-driven series might appeal to readers who
like their hero and heroine surrounded by a close-knit group of family and
friends. While the sizzling romance falls solidly within genre conventions, it's
surrounded by a completely unpredictable external plot--just how I like 'em!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Authors and publishers, if you've got a forthcoming SFR release as of June 2014,
please consider submitting a review copy for possibly review in the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly. We
accept the following digital formats: PDF, EPUB, and MOBI.

Send files to me, Heather, at sfrgalaxy "at" gmail
DOT com and I'll forward them to the editor.

Promotion of SFR
& reader-centric spaces

I read something today which made me wonder if some authors
of SFR have concerns about reader-centric SFR sites not having a promotion-friendly
policy. Maybe this person was unaware of the reader-driven aspect? After all,
that's been the philosophy behind a number of sites in the online SFR community.
In fact, I've told many an author that I don't go for the hard sell here at TGE
since this blog's main goal is being a resource site. And if anyone's going to aggressively
hand-sell the genre on TGE it's going to be Super Fan me, gosh darn it! ;)

I can understand an author's frustration about the limited
promotion venues available for SFR. Or should I say, affordable promotion venues. Given SFR's niche genre status, even readers know there's
value in marketing because it translates to more choices. Alas, the
opportunities have been perilously few.

But no one site can be all things to all readers/authors. I
wonder also if maybe things get a little fuzzy--and hence frustrating or
puzzling--when some authors are blogging, with their reader hats on, for an
audience of readers.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly #3 is now out and available for
download! Get your free copy of this
action-packed science fiction romance magazine here
(full disclosure: I'm one of the team behind the 'zine).

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Alisha Rai's NIGHT
WHISPERS (Shadowlands #1; Samhain Publishing) is one of those books that straddles
the fence between PNR and SFR. One reason is its near-future, post-apocalyptic
setting. Another is the premise: a plague called the "Illness" has
swept across the globe and renders victims--"Shadows"--into mindless
zombies who feed on human blood in a vampire-like fashion. When humans weren't
attacked by Shadows, they fell victim to nuclear attacks and a general
infrastructure collapse.

I wasn't quite clear regarding how the plague started or why
and I would have been interested in learning more. Who created the Illness and
for what reason? How would the good gals and guys defeat it (presumably in future books)? The vagueness might even have been
intentional, either to purposefully straddle the genre fence and/or to save the
explanation for a future book.

Despite some ambiguities, I feel NIGHT WHISPERS nudges
closer to SFR given the presence of secondary scientist characters, references
to experiments, and various gadgets. Until I learn the Illness has supernatural
origins, that's my speculation and I'm sticking to it!

I'm going to provide a few more non-spoiler tags so you can
decide if NIGHT WHISPERS is up your alley, but first, here's the blurb:

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The concept of human characters merging with aliens
fascinates me. Versions of it include alien bonding (humans becoming hosts to
alien entities) and human-to-alien or partial alien transformations. The latter
often results from an alien infection, a physical appropriation of
some kind, or genetic engineering. The process is intriguing and disturbing at
the same time, especially when it gets kind of messy or involves bizarre alien
appendages.

I don't recall my first exposure to this trope in
books since my SF reading goes way back, but in film it probably began with
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978). I'm also a fan of films like THE THING,
ALIEN, DISTRICT 9, and THEY LIVE.

When the element is employed in SF, the results are
frequently tragic and/or horrific. Humans the world over are pumped full of
alien DNA and enslaved, the end. When extraordinary abilities develop as a
result of the merge, the trope can fall under the category of superhuman SF.
Many stories use alien bonding to explore various social and psychological
themes.

When authors incorporate the alien bonding element
into science fiction romance, sometimes there's a tragic element involved, but more
often than not the idea of alien bonding is transformed into something with
more hopeful and varied outcomes.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Author Eva Caye's To Be Sinclair saga has reached its
finale with the release of MORALITY,
the eighth book in her futuristic royalty-in-space series of sci-fi romances. Given
the occasional lament that SFR lacks enough novel-length stories, I saw this as
an opportunity to connect readers with the work of an author who's been
contributing exactly that kind of content to the genre. Therefore, Eva Caye is
aboard to tell us more about her epic
series!

The Galaxy Express: What
was the initial inspiration for your To Be Sinclair series?

Eva Caye: I wrote Dignity to deal with my depression.
I took the person I was (overstrung alpha, forced to make judgments every
day) and began having conversations with the person I wanted to be (student of
science, focused on learning how to get things done). The pressure of
those internal dialogues was so great, I began writing them down, and they
developed into characters. By the time I had completed the rough draft of book
one, I knew essentially what the entire series would be like.

The
fate of two worlds hangs in the balance as three lives entangle: Jake, a
man shifted to an alternate Earth, where he must drain energy from
others to survive. Tess, the parapsychologist trying to save him. Ross,
the FBI agent torn between duty and his love for Tess.

I invited project leader Scott Kroll aboard to share more
information about what readers can look forward to in this unique,
visually-rich anthology of romantic SF stories. Plus, feast your eyes on some of the art samples he
provided!

The Galaxy Express: Describe the very
first moment that inspiration hit for SPECULATIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

Well, sci-fi romance is ultimately only as strong as its characters.
It's why diversity is so important in media, and it's why those of us
defending that get pretty up in arms about it. Some sci fi romance is
probably not that well-written, but the same is true of the
'old-fashioned', 'traditional' technowank stuff that relies on shiny
bits rather than character development. Ultimately, one or two or even ten bad books do not merit discarding an entire genre. Sci-fi
romance needs a little more time to grow up and branch out, sure, but
it's a very new subgenre. Ultimately, the potential of more explicitly
character-driven sci-fi is really exciting.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

What can jolt an 18-year-old
Princess from her worries about her sex life? Her training in Grandmother's
secret stelluric science, of course!

Daughter of the most brilliant scientist on the planet, Princess Grace
Encino-Sinclair fights to have a private life, quite difficult to achieve since
she has been trained to so many Imperial secrets and is constantly followed by
Sentinels. By using her scientific and political knowledge, as well as her
consummate social skills, to balance Imperial needs and demands, her relentless
duties see her dealing with one mind-boggling near-disaster after another, with
objectivity but also with heart. When the most unthinkable assassination of all
occurs and everything goes downhill from there, Grace suddenly finds herself
the most highly trusted person in the Empire, the power behind the Imperial
throne....

Discover the power of ladies as the backbone of Demesne society in this novel of
social intrigues, ethics, and justice, as Princess Grace defines the true
meaning of morality!

This science fiction romance is the final book of the eight-part To Be Sinclair
series. The saga continues with NOBILITY and ends with MORALITY, which detail
the romances and political struggles of the future Emperor and the power behind
the throne. Several scenes describe sexually explicit behavior.

Drill Instructor Cyprus Dhoma lives
and dies by the Outer Settlement Agency badge on his shoulder. Every soldier in
the solar system wants to be him and just as well, he's trained half of 'em.
But when a loud, obnoxious and completely insane recruit signs up for the next
round of basic training, it'll test the famous control and reputation he's
spent years building up.

Lana hates the military. Everything about OSA completely, totally and
unredeemingly sucks - except for the hottie instructor with the bad attitude.
He may be annoyed with her now, but she's on a secret mission and needs his
help. It'll take a lot of work to bring him in line, but she'll be doggoned if
she doesn't get him in tow. Besides, a man that cute shouldn't be that pissed
off.

When
an inter-galactic cop exchange program serves up an alien partner for
NONPD Detective Violet Baker, she can’t help wishing the handsome alien
would be a little less Joe Friday about keeping the pleasure out of
their business. Yeah, he’s kind of purple and she can’t pronounce his
name to save her life, but he’s almost the only guy in the New Orleans
New police department that she’s not related to.

Dzholh
“Joe” Ban!drn has come a long way hunting the evil that has infiltrated
Vi’s floating city. When he meets his charming partner, he discovers
another reason to stamp out evil. If only he wasn’t keeping so many
secrets from her…

When
an epic hurricane heads their way, they are sent dirt side to New
Orleans Old (NOO) on a rescue mission. But murder and sabotage strands
them in the heart of the raging storm.

As they fight for their lives, Joe realizes that the evil he’s hunting is actually hunting them….

After spending a year enslaved by
the Az-kye, Commander Kyndan Maere has good reason to hate them. On the eve of
peace between the Tellaran Realm and the Az-kye Empire, Kyndan finds himself drawn
into a duel for the hand of Alari, the First Imperial Daughter. When their
passion ignites, Kyndan learns the only thing harder than winning this princess
would be losing her . . .

When the cards tell Ophelia Leoni she's supposed to marry the Prince of
Hansarda, the gunrunner grits her teeth and boards the starship that comes for
her. It doesn't matter if the ship's commander is the gorgeous stranger she
just spent a wild, drunken night with. As a Diviner, she’s painfully aware the
cards don't lie. Ever.

Boone O’Keirna knows Ophelia is trouble the second he sees the way she
moves. Not about to let the little hellcat marry his sadistic half-brother,
Boone pretends to be the Prince’s emissary and kidnaps Ophelia. Too bad they
can’t be in the same room without him wanting to throw her out an airlock–or
into bed.

Even as they fight each other–and their explosive attraction–Ophelia and
Boone sense something is wrong. Too much is going their way. Soon, they realize
while the cards may never lie, the truth is sometimes hidden between them...and
the future king of Hansarda is not one to take defeat lying down.

ON HER WATCH (Don't Tell #2) - Rie Warren

The year
is 2071 and all hell has broken loose. As the government tries to control the
territories that were once the United States, an armed rebellion erupts . . .

AWOL from
her military post, Lieutenant Liz Grant will do anything for the rebels she now
calls friends. Her latest mission: return to the Beta Corps army and obtain
classified information that could turn the battle in the revolutionaries’
favor. There’s only one problem: Commander Linc Cutler.

Strong, coldly handsome, and always in control, Linc
is perplexed by the beautiful soldier brought in for questioning. He doesn’t
know if he believes her explanation for why she went missing. He only knows his
intense sexual desire for her cannot be denied.

Awards

Courtesy of Love
in the Margins, I learned about the Swirl
Awards. Mission statement: "…the Swirl Awards was created to promote romance without
color barriers!"

SENSORY OVERLOAD, an erotic SFR by Areana Senoj, is among
the finalists! Check out the complete list here.

So the problem, as I understand it, is that these publishers
do not see science fiction and romance working together. They must have
forgotten that classic commercial about mixing chocolate and peanut butter,
huh? Or is it possible that they experimented with the merger and it didn't
work out for them? Peanut allergies, mayhap?

In short, they don't yet know how to sell SFR. It'll
probably take a runaway bestseller from the digital-first indie realm to show
them the money.

RK launched a new "SF
Obscure" feature in which she will "…try to track down some of
the SF/Fantasy shows and actors of yesteryear. (some series maybe best
forgotten, but always good for a laugh)." First stop, THE SECRETS OF ISIS!

I have fond memories of that show and RK's post reminds me
that I need to revisit it on DVD since I have ISIS in my collection!

About Me

Heather’s debut sci-fi romance novel, Once Upon a Time in Space, features the last living descendant of Christopher Columbus on a desperate quest to find a new world. Standing in his way is Raquel, the deadliest space pirate in the galaxy.